To Demand Policy Change, the Latino Community Must Make Its Voice Heard

Earlier this year, The LIBRE Institute, the non-profit I lead, polled Latinos about their view s on the economy and the general direction of our country.

The responses were overwhelmingly pessimistic.

According to the findings, inflation, the high cost of living, and economic uncertainty are driving the anxiety facing many Latinos day-to-day. And while our poll found that Latinos continue to believe in the American Dream, many feel like it is becoming more out of reach.

Fortunately, we live in a democracy where we hold elections to elect a president and determine control of Congress.

And in 2024, the Latino community is poised to make its voice heard.

According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote in this year’s election. For comparison, 32.3 million Latinos were eligible to vote in the 2020 election. The eligible Latino vote population is growing at lightning speed. In fact, the same study found that every year, about 1.4 million Hispanics become eligible to vote.

Unfortunately, not every eligible Latino voter is choosing to vote.

In 2020 for example, just over half of all eligible Latinos voted. And while that was a positive step, this means that there are many Latinos who don’t feel like they should exercise their right to vote. Apathy and cynicism are certainly contributing to this, but so is confusion about how and where to vote.

This is why we were thrilled to forces with Univision earlier this year in a national campaign titled: Vota Conmigo – or “vote with me” in English.

Vota Conmigo seeks to provide essential information to Latino voters while breaking down barriers that exist between Latinos and our country’s democratic process. To do this, Vota Conmigo is partnering with Latino organizations and civic groups from across the country to educate and encourage eligible Latino voters to have their say in the federal and state elections taking place this year.

To help get the word out, my colleagues at The LIBRE Institute have partnered with Univision to educate and motivate Latinos to vote this year.

ing Vota Conmigo was a no brainer.

The LIBRE Institute exists to equip the Latino community with the tools and resources they need to thrive. In practice, this means holding English as a second language classes (ESL), organizing back-to-school backpack giveaways, hosting book clubs, leading women empowerment workshops, and educating the Latino community on the role of government. We also talk about the impact policies have in our everyday lives, as well as what the Latino community can do to create change.

Every state where The LIBRE Institute has a presence differs, but if there is one thing that these states have in common, it’s that the Latino community is excited and motivated to live out their version of the American Dream. Although they know that it is incredibly challenging to make ends meet and save for the future, the Latino community also knows that the United States is a special place.

Unlike many countries around the world – including places in Latin America where many of us emigrated from – the U.S. is still a place where hard work, ingenuity and perseverance pay -off. And for many Latinos, their version of living out the American Dream is seeing their children and grandchildren receive opportunities that they were not able to have when they were younger.

As a non-partisan organization, we do not tell Latinos who to vote for, but we do talk about the role of government and how a belief in people, and not top-down policies , has made our country free and prosperous.

By empowering people, prosperity, and opportunity flourish.

This year, the future of our country may largely depend on the Latino community. That’s why it’s so important to encourage every eligible Latino voter to cast a vote and make their voice heard. Vota Conmigo!

Jeffrey Baldwin is the director of The LIBRE Institute